Networking

Ah, our Facebook friends. Some we can't live without and, well, then there are those other ones. It is the latter group that I'm focusing on today. We all know people like this, right?The chatty co-worker, the family member who can't keep a secret, that pretty girl you sat next to in junior high school. Wait a minute...if we all know people like this, is it possible that you might be one of those people, too?

To those of us who live and breathe social media every day, it is easy to forget that not everyone is as comfortable online as we are. In fact, many people have concerns about being too visible online and some don't want to be online, period. Yes, there are people who, by choice, do not have Facebook, Twitter or Google+ accounts. To my fellow social media aficionados, I realize this may come as a shock.

Social media is all the rage. All the cool kids are using it; at least, that's what the cool kids on the internet are telling us. The number of businesses on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and YouTube is mind-boggling, but the real question is how many of them are using the tools wisely?

LinkedIn doesn't get much love in the "I can't wait to go online and have fun with my friends" category of social networking sites, but make no mistake - for professionals, wannabe professionals, businesses or non-profits, LinkedIn is where the real action is. While you may be getting benefit out of Twitter or Facebook, LinkedIn is probably where I'll find you first when I google you and where I'll look to get an early sense of your reputation.

It had been nagging me for months, though I couldn't put my finger on exactly what it was. Things with my work have been going well and keeping me busy, but something didn't feel quite right.
I know a lot of people, more than I've ever known at any other time in my life. I spend much of my day connecting with them in one way or another.

You've taken the job of connecting with the right people online seriously. You've methodically built your professional network of connections on LinkedIn. You've added your family, friends, old classmates and co-workers to your list of Facebook friends. This is a wonderful way to stay in touch by keeping up with status updates and photos, but what if you want to send a private email to one of your connections?

Lately, I’ve found myself repeatedly faced with the same request. Whether the goal is the increase sales or to find a job, the request is often the same. “Tell me the one thing that I need to do.” While the request may come in different forms, it is really the same.

Remember the old days when we began to use email for business communication and to send messages to multiple people simultaneously? Ok, so maybe I'm the only one who remembers when that was a big deal. It seems like eons ago, long before we tweeted and poked to get someone's attention. Not so fast. Email is still as important and relevant as it ever was. Two primary differences between email then and email now for me are:

While many of us use social networking tools differently, most of us struggle with similar questions and challenges.
Should I connect only with family and good friends on Facebook and only business contacts on LinkedIn?
How secure should I feel when using Facebook's privacy settings to determine which groups of friends can or cannot see particular photos?
Should I be concerned when someone tags me in a photo or I comment on someone else's post?

If you're a professional or business person, you know you need to be using LinkedIn wisely, right? And, college students, that goes for you, too. If you don't know why it matters or know deep-down in the pit of your stomach that you're really not all that sure what to do with LinkedIn, then this is for you......